Sanctuary
by Iluxia
Summary: Complete. A small collection of 10 related yet separate oneshots occurring before and up to the Uchiha Genocide. Deals with Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, their relationship as brothers &, occasionally, as something else. [ItaSasu]
1. Cherry Blossom

**Sanctuary  
**Written by: ahnigurL

c", inspired by the title of Utada Hikaru's song, Sanctuary, OST from Kingdom Hearts two. Just inspired by the song. Now, let me slip through, please. Pardon my writing, this is the first ItaSasu I've ever made. This is Itachi and Sasuke bordering on brotherly love and something more.

* * *

**Cherry Blossom**

* * *

I watched a small bundle of joy shoot right passed my feet towards the sakura grove road, the whole lane covered and coated with cherry blossom petals. The air was heavy with the scent of sakura and the petals drifting aimlessly to the ground.

A smile graced my face as I watched little brother play with the sakura petals, gathering them from the ground and throwing them above his head. His pure, untainted innocence and laughter sounds like a sweet song in my ears.

He's the only innocence left in the family.

He's the sole surviving soul inside the clan.

And to top all of that off, he's _perfection_.

My eyes narrow as my father and the other fellow clan members eye Sasuke with distaste. They do not like the innocence, the cheerfulness, the happiness that radiates from him. Somehow, they can see that he affects me more than anything. And they hate that.

I walk towards my little brother, beating them to it.

I crouch down into a sitting position, brushing some stray petals stuck in his soft hair, making the little boy smile in complete glee.

"Aniki! Wai!" he exclaimed, immediately latching on to my torso and hugging me like there's no tomorrow.

A small smile slipped through my façade as I wrapped my arms around the small form latched on to me carefully. He was so small, I felt like he'd break if I held him too hard!

I patted his back gently and he replied by wrapping his legs around my waist, his arms slithering around my neck. I stood up and supported his weight with one hand, another simply holding him by his back. He was too gentle, too fragile to be in this family. In this brutal clan. In this harsh reality.

I sigh as he snuggles into the warmth I provide him, walking wordlessly past my father, mother and the other members of the clan and ignoring their utterances, even though I could hear them loud and clear.

"…seems so caring of his brother, how sweet…"

"There's nothing sweet about that, he gives that useless kid more importance than the clan!"

"…is a disappointment from him, I admit, he doesn't realize his priorities."

"Such a smart boy as he is, should not laze away and waste his time…"

"…brother is not worth a glance, that kid's trash!"

"…not an ounce of potential."

I seethed in anger, biting my lip painfully to prevent myself from lashing out at them. How _dare_ they. They don't know anything. _Anything._

They should be thankful they are older than me.

Then again, maybe not.

Because that fact would make them look even dumber as they are.

_They deem themselves worthy and experienced in life…_

I smile slightly as little Sasuke placed a soft kiss on my cheek and snuggled into the crook of my neck. "I love you, nii-chan."

…_when they themselves cannot see Sasuke for what he is._

I smile fully this time, delighted to hear those words from my baby brother's mouth. My father and the other family members look curiously for my reaction and are shocked to find a full-fledged smile on my face.

I walked past them and opened a shoji (sliding rice paper door) leading into my room and set a dozing Sasuke gently on my bed. I sat beside him for a while, mussing his hair with one hand, smiling slightly.

Then I leaned over and gave my little brother a peck on the cheek.

"I love you too, otouto."

Sasuke may be a boy, but to me, he looks like a gentle sprout in spring, a delicate cherry blossom needing and deserving guidance and protection.

And I am going to give him everything that he needs and deserves.

* * *

c", Oot. Just fluff for now. Actually, this whole story is all fluff. Bordering on brothers and something more. Soon, the fluff will be heavier than before. There will even be hintings. XD

**ahnigurL : ViPeR aLcHeMisT  
**_Lady Kiasidira Ixari_  
**04.26.06**


	2. Ice

**Sanctuary  
**Written by: ahnigurL

c", Prepare for yet another ItachiSasuke fluffiness chapter.

* * *

**Ice**

* * *

I love my aniki.

I love him more than anything in the whole world.

I love him, I think, more than I could ever love any other person in this world.

And I don't know why I do.

I just… do.

I ask my mother about love. What is love? How does it work?

As usual, my mother is perplexed. She does not know, and she wonders why I should ask such questions.

As innocent as I am, I answer back.

"Because I want to know why I love Itachi-nii-chan even if he is so cold."

My mother, and my listening father behind me, both looked at me, half interested, half shocked by my simple, as-a-matter-of-factly answer.

I cocked my head to the side cutely, a pout slowly forming on my face as my mother slowly went back to washing the dishes used for lunch, and my father continued reading his newspaper, though a new crease has formed in his forehead.

"Kaa-chan, aren't you gonna answer my question?"

"Sasuke-chan, you are far too young to understand the matters of the heart."

"Huh?"

"You love your Itachi-nii-chan because you do. And that's all to it."

I frowned and sighed, pouting cutely. When my mother's voice carried that tone, it meant that the conversation was over. I pull up my knees and hug them, placing my chin just between them.

I knew then that I was not going to get any answers from my parents that night. And on any other night, for that matter. I sigh again.

My disappointed expression immediately shifted into an expectant one when soft thuds of footsteps resound through the silent house, the footsteps walking through the length of the corridor and to the living room. The shoji opened and revealed my nii-chan, tired and sweaty, yet still in blood and flesh.

"Nii-chan!" I yell in glee, startling my mother and making my father jump.

I immediately launched myself on to the older boy, tackling him and sending the both of us to the ground. He laughed lightly, ruffling my hair.

"Have you been behaving, Sasu-chan?"

"Of course!" I beamed proudly, lifting my chin high.

My aniki smiled at me and mussed my hair. "Good."

My aniki smiled.

At me.

He rarely did.

I grinned back, tightening my arms around his torso. He settled into a sitting position with me on his lap. I never released my hug, and he never protested. Through his report to his father, up to the point where he laid me to bed, I did not let go.

I did not let go, until I had to let go.

He was as cold as ice.

Cold and chilled.

Outside.

Cold, scathing, burning against skin.

Yet…

"Oyasumi, nii-chan! I love you!"

…oddly enough, when our skin touches, a yearning warmth explodes.

Warmth unlike any other.

"Oyasumi, Sasu-chan," his voice came. Then a soft, innocent peck on the lips. That was the first time. "I love you too."

Warmth that can only be kindled and rekindled by scathing, cold ice.

Warmth that can only be given by him.

Aniki.

* * *

c", Oot. Real fluffy. Woooo…

**ahnigurL : ViPeR aLcHeMisT  
**_Lady Kiasidira Ixari_  
**04.26.06**


	3. Starlit Sky

**Sanctuary  
**Written by: ahnigurL

c", Third chapter. These are short, related oneshots only. So please, bear with me.

* * *

**Starlit Sky**

* * *

I heard a muffled yelp from the other room.

A worried crease appeared on my forehead, and despite my sleeping state, I could very well hear the noises around me, even though I cannot process them fully.

But there's one thing I processed, though.

That yelp was no joke.

Some several minutes later, there was a shuffling sound outside my room and the shoji slid open, revealing a sweaty, bedraggled Sasuke, panting slightly, pulling on his favorite baby blue blanket. The child entered the room to find my empty, messy bed.

"N-nii-chan?"

I, who was perched sleeping atop his room on the roof tiles above, immediately woke, my eyes snapping open sharply. I sat up and grasped the ledge of the roof, swinging down, smoothly slipping through my window and landing inside my room.

I approached my sniffing otouto, pulling him into a fierce hug. He immediately latched on to me, like he does everyday when he sees me. He grips his stubby little arms around my torso, barely reaching each other at the back. He clutches on to me for dear life, as if he did not ever want to let go. As if he never did want to leave the warmth we both felt when we were together.

"Doushite, otouto?" I gently asked, rocking him slowly back and forth, soothing him by running my palm across his sweaty back.

"I had a bad dream, nii-chan… make it go away… onegai?" Sasuke muttered against my neck.

My breath caught in my throat as the consequences and the implications of what he had said entered my mind. That statement had interpreted in so many ways for me, I did not know which to pick as the real meaning.

After a few tense minutes, he spoke again. "N-nii-chan? Please?"

I pulled away slightly, looking straight into the pitch black orbs my otouto had for eyes. Such beautiful eyes they were.

"You want everything to go away, otouto?"

My little brother nodded vigorously, my hair whipping back and forth from the force. "Onegai, onegai!"

_How can I resist…?_

I lifted his chin, tilting his face upwards to meet my eyes.

_Don't hate me for this, little brother._

I slowly lowered my lips upon his cute, plump, innocent ones, and received a pleasant gasp of surprise as those little pillows of flesh touched each other. I slowly started moving, giving my little brother the first hand experience of a real kiss for the first time in his life.

I felt heartened when he wrapped his two arms around my neck and so, I angled his head to the side, making my access better. I coaxed his lips apart, slipping in my tongue to brush, push and run against his slowly, eliciting his inhibitions out.

Then I slowly pulled away, breaking the kiss. I opened my eyes, to find his still closed.

"Do you hate me, otouto?"

His eyes snapped open at this.

"Why would I hate you?" frowned Sasuke. "Chigaimasu! I love you!" (That's not it!)

I was taken aback by the sudden, forceful outburst, but smiled afterwards, nevertheless. I picked him up, and let him nuzzle my neck. I picked up his blue blanket and carried it with us as I retraced my way back up to the roof.

I settled myself back down on the roof, gazing up at the starlit sky, with my little brother snoozing peacefully against my neck and on my chest with a serene smile painted on his face. His baby blue blanket I had wrapped gently around him provided him with the warmth to keep him away from cold, but I think the warmth that our touch elicited was enough to warm any cold anytime.

I sigh.

We both fell asleep under starlight.

* * *

c", FLUFFIER STILL! Oot. I'm getting the haaaang of thiiiiis!

Oh well. Ciao.

**ahnigurL : ViPeR aLcHeMisT  
**_Lady Kiasidira Ixari _  
**04.26.06**


	4. Real Jealousy

**Sanctuary  
**Written by: ahnigurL

c", Chapter four. It seems to be going quite quick, ain't it? Hmm…

**Note:** Someone said that the name suffix "-chan" is only used for a younger person. I have to disagree. "-chan" or "-kun" is used as an endearment to a person. If you are really close to a certain person, you would attach this to their name. Oftentimes, "-chan" is a general term and can be used for both female and male, but "-kun" is a limited suffix, and can only be used for males. The suffix "-san", meanwhile, is a sign of respect and would be used if you had just met a certain person. It is equivalent to English's "miss" or "mister".

* * *

**Real Jealousy**

* * *

Sasuke huddled in a corner inside his room, cuddling with his pillow, which was crushed into his body by his small, yet powerful arms. The Uchiha blood had the ninja in it, and Sasuke's physique was already showing telltale signs of physical ninja prowess, as it should be.

But right now, that ninja prowess was being unknowingly unleashed on a poor, baby blue pillow. His eyes stared hard on the tatami matted floor, cold and glazed over by what seemed to be shock.

It was late in the afternoon; around five. His mother would still be out at the Uchiha clinic, helping out, and his father wouldn't be home until nine in the evening, due to his duties as the Konoha Police Corps Commander. And his brother…

_His brother._

He clutched harder at the pillow, and the poor thing looked as if the stuffing was punched and pushed forcefully out of it.

_He lied to me._

The scene Sasuke had witnessed earlier as he had walked home from the Academy was etched into his young mind, and the clear notion that his brother had lied and betrayed him was engraved hard into his understanding.

_He told me he loved me. And _only _me. And _especially _me. He told me he loved me best._

He threw the pillow across the room, seething in anger more than he had ever in his entire life. There was no one home; no one heard the glass vase shatter as it hit the matted floor, and nobody heard him scream furiously, trampling all over the place, not caring and not even wincing as the shattered shards of glass bit into his skin. He didn't even cringe when they lodged themselves into his flesh and the wounds stung with every step he took.

"Aniki, you liar!" he yelled. "You lied!"

He broke down in sobs.

"You lied…" he sobbed, falling back on the bed, his feet bleeding profusely on the floor and the sheets. "…why?"

He fell asleep.

_"Itachi-kun!" a girl with red and pink hair of Itachi's age came bounding through the streets, approaching the waiting Uchiha._

_Itachi's lips lifted and curled a bit as he sighted the girl, bouncing with every step she took. "Kari-chan," he greeted the girl. "Is anything wrong?" _

_Kari shook her head and planted a soft kiss on Itachi's cheek. Itachi didn't mind at all. It looked as if he was actually used to it. Kari drew back and smiled at him. "Wow, you didn't pull back. So my boyfriend isn't afraid of public displays of affection now, eih?" she cooed, pulling on Itachi's cheek. She released it and giggled at Itachi's scowling expression._

"_My being yielding today doesn't mean you can abuse me all you want," Itachi retorted, massaging his harassed cheek._

"_Oh, come _on_, Ita-kun, we both know you won't do anything to me!" Kari giggled. "Ano… Ita-kun, have you got anyone who'll go with you to the annual Sakura fest?"_

_Itachi stopped to think for a second, a clouded look coming over his face, before it cleared again. He shook his head._

"_Great, then we can go together?" Kari suggested, pulling on Itachi's hands and pleading with puppy dog eyes and pouting lips._

_Itachi sighed and nodded, not being able to resist. "Fine, fine."_

"_Excellent! Pick me up at 7, then! Mata ashita, Ita-kun! See ya tomorrow! 7, okay?" she called as she started walking away. Itachi nodded after her. "Love you!" she hollered, sending a flying kiss towards Itachi, who just stared after her, a small smile tugging on his lips._

_Sasuke's eyes widened._

_And to think, he believed him._

_And to think… he thought that smile was reserved only for him._

_Foolish little brother indeed._

* * *

The front door slid open silently, revealing a passive-looking Itachi. He grunted as he took off his sandals, whispering into the empty house. "Tadaima." He was used to coming home to find the house alone. When he had been studying in the Academy, it was that way, since his mother needed to take Sasuke with her to take care of him.

During these days, there were times that when he'd come home, there was an enthusiastic little Sasuke bounding from the darkness of the corridor out into the fading afternoon light to greet him. He had cherished those special days.

But evidently, today wasn't one of them.

He sighed, sliding the door behind him close. He switched on the main lights of the corridor, lighting up the whole Manor in the approaching darkness. He walked towards the staircase, sighing as he dragged his tired body across the long corridors.

It had been a hectic day; the Hokage had briefed him and his colleagues about their next mission and it was very detailed. It was very meticulous. Every kill needed to be as accurate as a millimeter.

As he walked the corridors of the second floor, he passed Sasuke's closed room door.

His nose twitched.

Two times.

Three.

There was a weird smell in the air.

It was familiar… like he'd always known that smell before…

…but house's cozy, comforting scent mingled with it and made it a bit more harder to determine.

He stopped in his tracks, sniffing two times, before turning towards Sasuke's door.

He gently slid the door open.

"What the--!"

Blood.

He had smelled the scent of fresh blood.

Itachi cursed loudly and picked up a broom from the corner of Sasuke's room, piling the glass shards carefully to one wall side. He rushed to Sasuke, who was sleeping in pain on the pristine, white bed, his feet bleeding profusely, his face stained with tears.

He grit his teeth.

_What the hell happened here!_

He picked the boy up gently and carried him to the washroom, the trail of blood following the two of them. Itachi set him down to sit by the Jacuzzi and woke him up.

"Sasuke. Sasuke… wake up. Otouto."

"A-a… aniki?"

Sasuke opened his eyes slowly, his gaze wavering a bit as his brother sent him a half-glare. Then his eyes glazed over and turned colder than ice.

"What happened, Sasuke? Why are your feet wounded?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke grumbled through gritted teeth. He jerked out of his aniki's warm arms, hating but bearing the feeling of coldness washing through him as the warmth was pulled away. He spoke with steel uncommon with his young age. He struggled to stand up, wincing as the glass shards bit deeper into his flesh. "I wounded myself on shattered glass, duh."

"Otouto, matte," Itachi said, grabbing hold of his otouto's slim arm in his calloused hand. "I'm not blind to not have noticed that. And I'm not stupid to assume that _you_ are stupid enough to simply wound yourself on a shattered vase."

"So?"

Itachi ground his teeth together. This was weird. Earlier, he had left with an enthusiastic otouto latching to his leg, begging him to take him to school. Now… he's faced with an uncaring, grouchy Sasuke?

"You will NOT speak to me in that tone, Sasuke," Itachi ground out.

"And who are you to tell me what to do?" Sasuke snorted, slightly wavering from the tone of his brother's voice. Itachi never said Sasuke's name that way. That cold. This just proved that he was just another in his world. He was not his brother's special only.

Sasuke was stunned when a stinging pain erupted on his left cheek and his head whipped to the side. His brother's hand was outstretched, indicating recent movement. He screwed his eyes shut, tears threatening to fall out. He steeled himself. He was just a child, but this was enough for him to understand that everything was a lie.

Itachi pulled back his hand and bit his lip, drawing blood. The tangy, metallic taste swirled inside his mouth, but it was familiar to him. Being a ninja familiarized you with blood. And everything it entails.

"Otouto… gomen," he sighed, placing a gentle hand on Sasuke's right cheek, turning his head to the right position and wiping the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth away with his thumb. "I don't want to hurt you, but you've changed. That's not the Sasuke I know."

He sighed, pulling Sasuke down to sit by the edge of the Jacuzzi and pulled out the first aid kit from the drawer. He started tending to Sasuke's wounds, using the scalpel and forceps to pull out the shards of glass lodged in his flesh. It was a painful process, but it was the only sure way. It was lucky that the shards were not fine, or Itachi would have had a hard time pulling them out.

Silence weighed down inside the bathroom.

"You lied."

A simple statement that had many meanings.

Itachi's had snapped up, his eyes looking intently into his younger brother's and searching for answers.

But his eyes were shadowed.

"You lied, aniki."

"Otouto?"

"You lied to me," Sasuke continued. Itachi's eyebrows furrowed, his hands stopping the painful treatment on Sasuke's foot. "I saw you earlier with that girl, you know. You said I was the only one you loved. And I thought you only smiled for me," Sasuke silently muttered. "You lied…"

"Otouto—"

"YOU LIED!" Sasuke screamed, his tears pouring out in a mad rush. He pulled his body in, hugging himself.

"Otouto!" Itachi frantically amended, trying to calm his brother. Itachi hissed in frustration as he struggled. He now understood what his otouto was crying about. He was craving attention, attention from his older brother more than anything.

Itachi mentally hit himself.

And I was stupid enough to try a relationship with a stupid girl I don't even care about.

Itachi growled.

"You lied…" sobbed Sasuke.

Itachi sighed and pulled his brother out from his cocoon and into his arms, pushing his head against his chest. Itachi planted a kiss on Sasuke's head.

"You're my special only," he muttered. "You're the only person I _REALLY_ love in this world, otouto, and don't you ever think otherwise. I love you more than anything, otouto… you're my special only."

Itachi cradled his sobbing brother, rocking him softly as he cried his heart out. Itachi murmured to his little brother softly, until he fell asleep peacefully on Itachi's chest. Itachi smiled and leaned his brother's head gently against the wall, returning to his herculean job of tending to Sasuke's injured feet.

After he finished his job, he gently wrapped his otouto's feet in bandage and cleaned up their mess, picking him up and walking to his room. He laid his little brother on his black satin bed, placing a lingering kiss on his forehead.

He pressed his forehead against Sasuke's, waking the boy up. Sasuke uncertainly looked into his brother's deep black eyes and found himself ensnared.

"I love you otouto… remember that. You and you only."

Itachi leaned forward, feeling Sasuke's eyes flutter close and lean back towards him for a sweet, passionate lip lock. Itachi pried Sasuke's mouth open, coaxing the boy's tongue out and playing with it.

He was taken aback when Sasuke wrapped his arms around his neck, sucking on his tongue forcefully and aggressively.

But he wasn't one to complain.

He just savored the moment.

As they parted, a trail of saliva was left between their parted lips, which slowly severed itself and dropped back to Sasuke's plump lips. Sasuke breathed his brother's scent deeply and nuzzled Itachi's neck, smiling as he dozed off again.

"I love you, aniki. Prove to me that you love me too."

Itachi smiled gently as he brushed back his otouto's hair and laid him back on the bed.

Another kiss on the forehead.

"I will. I will, otouto."

"Sasuke? Itachi? What happened here?" a voice from across the hallway called out.

The shoji to Itachi's room slid open, revealing their mother and father. Itachi turned his head towards them, his hand never leaving his otouto's forehead.

"Otouto injured himself on the broken vase," Itachi reasoned out, pulling his bed blankets over his brother. "His bed is bloodstained, so I just took him here. His wounds have been disinfected and tended to."

"Sou ka," Fugaku nodded. Mikoto looked worried, though.

"Is he alright?"

"Mikoto, Sasuke will be a ninja, he needs to face pain."

"But, Fugaku…"

"I'm fine, kaa-chan," muttered Sasuke, rolling around under the covers of Itachi's bed to face them and snuggling into the warmth deeper.

"You look pale."

"He lost quite an amount of blood," Itachi sighed. "Foolish little brother. You practically trampled on the shards."

Sasuke smiled sheepishly. "That means you've got to take care of me, aniki."

Itachi sighed, mussing his hair. "Looks like it. You rest here while I bring your dinner up later, ok?"

Sasuke nodded sleepily, sighing as he closed his eyes and hugged his brother's extra pillow. The whole bed smelt like him, it was heaven.

-

-

-

Sasuke was relieved to find out that the day after their little incident, Itachi had dumped his two-day try-out girlfriend.

-

-

c", there. XP Finish.

**Kia-chan  
**05.04.06


	5. Mission Accomplished

**Sanctuary  
**Written by: ahnigurL

c", next one. Sorry if I was inactive for a few days… well, let's just say I had… uhm, **Shikamaru syndrome**. XP Nah, I had to pack up my things and rest for a while, coz I had a bad cold, which is a mystery, because it's still summer here. Well, the first rain's fallen already…

Guys, in case you don't get the timeline, just base it on Itachi. Itachi graduated the academy at 7 years old (he took six months to finish his studies O.O); he became ANBU Captain at 13; and he murdered his clan at 13 and a half. He has a five-year gap with Sasuke. The first chapter has Sasuke at about 4 years old, as well as the second one. The third one has him at about 5 or 6, and the fourth one around 6. This has him at seven.

**Warning(s):****LEMON**, mature content themes, incest, possible language.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, or the Uchiha brothers. (I lie. I own them. :P)

* * *

**Mission Accomplished**

* * *

Uchiha Itachi sighed and stretched as he stepped out into the fresh, nighttime breeze. His hair, which, he noticed, was growing quite fast recently, whipped around with the wind as it blew. 

_My shampoo must be a good one._

He snorted. Who would have thought Uchiha Itachi would even spare thought regarding such a trivial thing?

No one, of course.

He pulled his head back and rolled it around, stretching his neck. A couple of bones cracked against each other as the tension was relieved from the muscles and ligaments. He sighed again, willing his body to relax even more.

_Mission accomplished._

It was refreshing to be back home after such a long mission. He started walking off, descending the stairs down from the Hokage's office. He had just made his reports along with his ANBU comrades. Or more likely, subordinates. He had just been promoted to ANBU Platoon Commander, replacing his commander, who had decided to opt for Tokubetsu Jounin instead.

He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and lolling his head back, walking while looking at the sky. His feet knew where to go, they would take him home.

Home.

A smile graced his lips.

_Sasuke._

* * *

Sasuke sighed, cupping his chin in his hand as he leaned his elbow upon the finely polished wooden surface of their living room low table. His father and his mother were sitting across him, Fugaku reading several scrolls and Mikoto catching up on her embroidery. 

_Aniki had left two weeks ago._

He impatiently drummed his fingers on the table, occasionally glancing at the far wall for the ticking wall clock. He sighed loudly, blowing several strands of hair out of his face.

_He had not yet come home since. Where is he? Is this another mission? _

"Sasuke-chan, you'd better go on to sleep now, you still have school tomorrow," Mikoto coaxed his son out of his reverie.

Sasuke stubbornly shook his head. "I'll wait up for aniki."

"Sasuke, your aniki might not even come home tonight, so do as your mother says," Fugaku said without looking away from his scrolls.

"But I want to wait up for him," Sasuke waspishly replied.

Mikoto and Fugaku sighed simultaneously. It was always like this ever since Itachi left for his S-class promotion mission two weeks ago. Sasuke would wait up for Itachi and would end up waking up late the next day, resulting in tardiness at school.

Neither Fugaku nor Mikoto knew before that Sasuke adored his aniki this much. They knew that the little boy held some kind of fanaticism for his elder brother because of Itachi's extraordinary achievements. That was natural. But this adoration they had been seeing recently, from _both_ sides… it was… new. Unnatural. Strange.

Something entirely out of consideration.

And Fugaku was even more shocked to hear that Itachi broke off with his previous girl just because of Sasuke's attention-craving.

Fugaku and Mikoto let it slip, though, since the boy was just a child, and he knew not what he did. Probably this would pass as he grew on an harbored more friends and peers of his own.

They let him go for now.

Let his world revolve around his aniki while it lasts.

"Sasuke, go to sleep," Fugaku sternly ordered, rolling up the scroll he was reading and picking up another one. "You need rest. And besides, you'll wake up late again tomorrow and be late for school again if you don't."

Sasuke sighed. "But 'tou-saaaaaan…" he whined, dragging out the letters and putting on the best pleading face, puppy dog eyes he could muster.

"Sasuke, your aniki is clearly not coming home—" Mikoto started, but her sentence was cut off when the raspy sound of wood sliding against wood echoed through the silent halls of the Uchiha Manor.

Mikoto was startled and Fugaku dropped the scroll he was holding when Sasuke let out a squeal so loud it hurt in the ears.

"Wai! ANIKI!"

He jumped up immediately and hurtled towards the living room door as Itachi entered, looking worn and tired, and his clothes a bit bloodstained. A fairly large smile made it's way onto Itachi's face as Sasuke immediately leapt up and tackled him.

The two of them collapsed on the tatami-matted floor, and Sasuke squeezed his brother into a big hug, the greeting they both had grown accustomed to through the years. Itachi chuckled lightly, ruffling his brother's hair as he sat up slowly. Sasuke adjusted with him but never let him go.

Itachi crawled the both of them impossibly towards the low table and in front of their parents.

"Well?"

Itachi pulled out a folding card from his vest and slid it on the table towards his father, retreating his hand almost instantly and returning it to rest against the back of his otouto's neck, who was still wrapped around his torso like an octopus.

Fugaku read the contents and nodded as he finished it, placing the card down on the table. Mikoto took it and read it, a smile forming on her face.

"Good work, Itachi-kun!" she smiled.

"Thank you, mother," Itachi nodded back.

"As expected of my son," Fugaku nodded.

Itachi bowed his head for a moment. "Now that the Hokage's appointed me as ANBU Platoon Commander, I'll be a bit more busy, so pardon me if I won't be able to attend all clan meetings, father."

"No problem, we will cover for you."

Mikoto smiled. "Enough of this clan business, it's time for your son to rest," she said, ushering Itachi up to the living quarters upstairs. "Go on and rest, and bring Sasuke-kun to bed too. And force him to take a bath as well, will you?"

"K," Itachi muttered, hoisting his otouto up gently and walking off.

* * *

Itachi closed Sasuke's bedroom door and put the boy down. Sasuke whined and reluctantly let go of his beloved aniki. He pouted cutely at Itachi, who chuckled, mussing his hair affectionately before flicking his forehead. 

"Shower and sleep, lil bro. It's not good for you to be up late," Itachi smirked, before giving his brother one last kiss on the cheek and a flick on the forehead. He turned around and started walking off, but Sasuke's question stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Can't I just take the shower with you, aniki?" the kid asked innocently.

Itachi's breath caught in his throat.

"And can't I just sleep with you tonight?"

Itachi was near choking, as he was having a hard time to breathe as his brain processed the consequences of what his little brother had just said. He wet his lips with his tongue tentatively and turned around, looking at his brother, who had a pleading expression.

Itachi's face was as passive as ever. He was a master at poker faces. But beneath these poker faces of his, emotions mixed with disturbing thoughts and conflicting ideas brewed, and underneath everything else, his awakening teen hormones screamed for release.

And it was right here, right here in front of him.

Willing him to take everything and ask for so much more.

Itachi smirked.

"Sasuke-chan, you really missed aniki, ne?"

Sasuke nodded vigorously, his baby soft hair bouncing around. Itachi sighed.

"How can I resist?" he grumbled. He leaned down and motioned for his little brother. "Come, Sasuke-chan."

Sasuke squealed in joy. He shuffled over, excited to be back in his aniki's warm and welcoming arms. He could never get this treatment from his parents, no. But with his aniki, he was free. He sighed in joy as the warmth and the scent he so loved overwhelmed his senses again.

Itachi crossed over to Sasuke's closet, picking out a dark blue yukata for his brother and pulled on his brother's favorite baby blue towel, taking it with them as he crossed the halls towards his room.

Itachi entered, sliding the shoji open. He locked it from inside, rousing Sasuke's curiosity.

"Why did you lock it, aniki?"

"Because I don't want anybody disturbing us."

"Huh?"

Itachi planted a soft kiss on Sasuke's left cheek to silence the kid. He placed the yukata and the towel on his desk chair and carried his brother towards the bathroom and put him down.

* * *

They were silent for a while. Sasuke's giggles and Itachi's chuckles faded away into a comfortable silence as both of them basked in the heavenly, relaxing feel of the warm tub water. 

Itachi was partially submerged, his upper torso visible, while Sasuke's head and shoulders was poking out of the blue water.

Itachi inwardly chuckled as he eyed his innocent, playing brother.

He had to admit, it was pretty surprising that he managed to savagely beat back the surges of lust he was feeling every time his otouto's thigh grazes lightly against his, and when his little brother's small hips pressed side by side against his wide ones.

It was another achievement for him, though it was one he would never tell anyone.

But he was really, _really_ nearing the brink now.

Almost.

_Almoooost_.

"A-aniki… ano…" Sasuke started, twiddling his thumbs. Itachi raised eyebrows. His little brother only did that when he was embarrassed, and he was rarely embarrassed in front of Itachi. "Ano…"

"Doushite, otouto?" he asked, reaching out a hand and placing it on top of Sasuke's head.

"Uhm…"

"Hn?"

"…" Sasuke blushed like a tomato. He mumbled something incoherent that even Itachi's keen ninja hearing didn't catch it.

"Nani?"

"Touch me!" Sasuke blurted out. After that, he immediately splashed water on his face.

Itachi chuckled at his brother's antics. It was natural that he would be shy about these things, he was just a child. He was still learning what was what.

Itachi pulled his little brother towards his chest into a tight, wet embrace that was immediately reciprocated. Itachi lifted Sasuke's chin and looked him in the eyes. "You love me, otouto?"

"Of course!" Sasuke nodded, not an ounce of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Good."

Sasuke's head spinned as Itachi's lips crashed against his own, caressing and making the most of the essence that was Sasuke. He felt his mouth being slowly pried open, and a larger tongue brush gently against his own. He immediately returned contact, eager for some interaction. He wasn't about to be undone. He'd show his brother that hw was worthy to be called "brother" indeed.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around his aniki's neck, his back arching in pleasure as his aniki's larger hand brushed downwards along his spine. Itachi's hand rested on Sasuke's lower back, and he pressed the smaller boy against him, maximizing skin contact.

Sasuke gasped as Itachi suddenly stood up, taking him as well. He did not bother with the towels by the hooks; he simply walked past them and into the bedroom. He carried his little brother to the bed.

Sasuke landed lightly with an 'oof' as the air was forced out of him. Itachi crushed him against the bed with his body, lustfully looking into his eyes before pulling the both of them into another passionate kiss.

Itachi's hand agilely flitted lower down Sasuke's undulating body. He scratched against Sasuke's hips as he rolled his nipples in his mouth. He slid even lower, biting down against Sasuke's inner thigh.

Sasuke moaned at the pleasant mixture of pleasure and pain. He never knew any touch like this. He liked this. He _wanted_ this. From his brother. He moaned again as Itachi tested his hips with his teeth and scratched against his inner thighs, his hands inches from where Sasuke wanted, yearned for them to be.

"Aniki…" he moaned. "Onegai…"

Itachi smirked. He got him begging.

"Doushite, otouto?"

"Onegai… touch me…"

"I can't hear you."

"Touch me, please!" howled Sasuke.

"Much better," smirked Itachi.

A finger traced down Sasuke's cock and he gasped in wonder. He was innocent after all.

Itachi smirked.

_And I'm going to break him. And take him._

Itachi grasped Sasuke's cock and started pumping in a slow, even tempo, making him moan and plead and writhe underneath him. He was loving the sounds his little brother was making for him and because of him, and he had no intention of making him stop.

_However…_

Itachi abruptly stopped his ministrations, making Sasuke groan in disappointment and pout cutely at Itachi. He was so close.

Itachi chuckled and placed a soft kiss on those pouting lips, before slipping two fingers into Sasuke's mouth. Sasuke gave him a look, before starting to suck tentatively on the fingers. Seeing that Itachi made no move to pull away, he continued sucking and moaning deep in his throat as Itachi's spare hand flitted across his aroused nipples.

He pulled out his fingers when he was satisfied with their wetness and moved downwards, spreading Sasuke's ass cheeks and pressing against his ass hole.

Sasuke let out a strangled gasp.

"Aniki—wh—what…" he stuttered, but his sentence faded off as his brother pushed two fingers into him, scissoring, bending, pumping and stretching the taut flesh and the constricting muscles. Sasuke moaned as Itachi pumped harder and harder, attempting to hit something.

Itachi gave Sasuke another passionate kiss, before pulling out his fingers.

He could not hold on any longer as well.

He pulled his otouto's legs up and onto his shoulders, and positioned his throbbing cock at Sasuke's entrance. Sasuke moaned, relishing the heat emanating from their coiled bodies.

Itachi kissed his brother's small, straight nose. "I'm going to take this slow, so you won't be hurt too much, ok?"

Sasuke nodded and took a deep breath, bracing himself.

A hot, searing pain erupted in Sasuke's ass as he felt himself rip a few centimeters to accommodate his brother's length. Blood trickled down his ass, tracing his curves. Queerly enough, there was a strange, white-hot pleasure uncoiling with the pain. He moaned.

Itachi groaned.

_Heaven._

Now he knew what heaven was like.

* * *

Fugaku walked over to the East Wing of the Manor to check on the two brothers, who were supposedly sleeping already. It had been more than an hour since they retired for the night, but it can't hurt to be sure. 

He slid Sasuke's room door open first, since it was nearer. He frowned when he found an empty bed, and a neat, spotless room. He slid the door close and walked over towards Itachi's room, expecting the little boy to be there, chatting or annoying the hell out of his aniki.

As he opened the door, he found that his speculation was only half true.

A half-naked Itachi cradled a small boy dressed in a yukata, fast asleep, into his chest.

"Itachi. Why is Sasuke not in his room?"

"He missed me."

That was an enough answer for Fugaku. He sighed and left his two sons cuddling in the bed, Itachi lightly petting his otouto's head. Itachi placed a gentle kiss on top of the black, exhausted head.

"Goodnight, otouto."

He smirked as a thought crossed his mind before sleep consumed him.

_Mission accomplished indeed._

* * *

c", There. Lemony goodness. XP I'm not yet that good with yaoi lemons, so please pardon me! X3 . 

**ahnigurL  
**_tainted.alchemist  
_**05.09.06**


	6. Angel's Wings

**Sanctuary**  
Written by: ahnigurL

c", Next chapter. We're going faster than I thought. Oh well… the words flow.

* * *

**Angel's Wings**

* * *

Uchiha Itachi sighed sleepily, yawning. He cupped his chin in his hand and leaned on the table, staring into space sleepily with half-lidded eyes. He was dead tired, partially from the mission and partially from his little fun _after_ the mission.

"Itachi-kun, you look tired. Are you alright?" Mikoto asked, placing a bowl of chicken soup in front of him and his father, who was reading a newspaper across him.

"Just the mission, I'm fine," muttered Itachi sleepily, trying in vain to blink the sleep from his droopy eyes.

"Go wake Sasuke, Itachi, he has school," Fugaku silently ordered behind the newspapers. Itachi sighed and lazily nodded, pulling himself together for another stubborn morning routine with his brother.

* * *

A voice was calling from afar.

_Wake up._

Sasuke groaned. He was having the best sleep ever! His aniki's smell wafted into his nose as he snuggled deeper into his aniki's pillow and blankets. He did not want to wake up. His whole body felt tired.

_Come on, Sasuke-chan._

_Figures._ Thinking of last night, he smiled slightly. It had been tiring and painful, but it somehow felt right. Fulfilling.

Then he let out a surprised yelp as he was pulled down from the bed onto the floor. He landed with a loud thump and an 'oof'. He grumbled, rubbing his nose, while sleepily glaring at his aniki.

"Mou…" he groaned. "Aniki, I'm still tired," he sighed, crawling up the bed and sinking into the soft pillows again.

Itachi sighed, rubbing his forehead. He had an excuse for being tired, but Sasuke did not. He could not just tell his parents that Sasuke did not want to go to school because he was tired, frankly because he had no reason to be tired! Fugaku and Mikoto knew that Sasuke had slept well the last night, and he did not do anything extreme yesterday either to be dead tired.

But of course, he could not just tell his parents that they had sex.

Itachi sighed again.

"Fine."

He crawled into the bed with his otouto, pulling the boy against his chest. Sasuke sighed in delight, savoring the creeping warmth that emanated from his aniki's embrace.

Itachi placed a soft kiss against Sasuke's cheek. "Come on, wake up, otouto, you have to go to school."

"But I'm tired," Sasuke sleepily yawned.

"Sasuke, remember what I told you last night? Mother and father can't know what we did. They will get mad. So they do not know why you are tired and they will just think that you want to skip out on school and scold you again," Itachi slowly explained. "You don't want that, do you?"

Sasuke pouted and reluctantly opened his eyes. "No…"

Itachi smiled and kissed his little brother's forehead.

"How about I take you to school today and pick you up afterwards, and then we can go and get ice cream and eat it by the lake, huh?"

"Really? You'll take me to school and then pick me up?" Sasuke considerably brightened and woke.

"Yep, now get up and get yourself ready, ok? Your breakfast is ready downstairs and it's waiting for you. Hurry up, you don't want to be late," Itachi smiled, petting his brother's head and loving the feel of the baby soft hair tangling with his fingers. Sasuke nodded and yawned again, stretching.

Itachi stood up and went to the door. "Sasuke, get up already, ok?"

"Ossu!" saluted Sasuke. (a/n: Yes, sir!)

Itachi stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him, leaving Sasuke tossing and turning in his bed.

Sasuke slowly forced himself to sit up, wincing when a sharp pain in his ass shot through him. He was still sore and stretched, and he really did not feel like school today. He was not up to hiding from his fangirls and to facing school bullies.

And he was _definitely_ not up to facing the fact that he had to sit _eight_ grueling hours on those stiff-backed, wooden desk chairs.

No, god, that was torture to his already painful ass.

He groaned.

_What a great morning._

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he dragged his heavy body across the wide hallways of the Manor, staring blankly at the Uchiha emblems imprinted on the walls. He dragged himself into the kitchen and greeted everyone with a sleepy good morning.

He walked lazily towards his aniki, who smiled at him. Itachi patted his lap, indicating for Sasuke to sit on it. Eagerly, Sasuke swaddled over and collapsed into his lap and his arms.

"Itachi, isn't your ANBU Commander briefing today?" Fugaku asked.

Itachi simply nodded, smoothing his otouto's hair on the back while he ate his cereals.

"Then why aren't you leaving yet? It starts early," his father stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

Itachi did not look up; he just kept on with his ministrations on his otouto's hair. "I'll take Sasuke to school first. The briefing and Hokage-sama can wait."

"Itachi!" Fugaku exploded, slamming his hands on the table and startling Sasuke, who dropped his spoon with a clatter. Sasuke picked it up, but did not resume his eating. Instead, he set it down on the bowl and whimpered very silently, fidgeting in his brother's lap and attempting to scoot deeper into his aniki's arms' protection. "Do not dismiss important matters like that! This is _ANBU_ we are talking about! Do not dismiss it like a petty thing! There is nothing more important than your improvement and promotion, Itachi! Do not waste yourself over—over useless nonsensical things!"

"So you think taking care of Sasuke is a useless and nonsensical thing," Itachi stated. It was posed as a question but he had stated it as a statement.

Fugaku was caught unawares with Itachi's retort, but he scowled and recovered immediately. "Sasuke has got Mikoto to take care of him. He does not need you. There are more important matters you need to tend to, Itachi!"

"Important matters that I don't even enjoy doing? No thanks, I've got no intention of exchanging the chance to be with my little brother with a boring lecture with the old man Hokage," Itachi snorted.

By now, Fugaku was seriously mad. "Itachi, let's clear matters right here. YOU _and_ Sasuke are both a part of a prestigious ninja clan. And _ninjas_, as you may well know, do _not_ exist for their own enjoyment or reasons, but to become a mere weapon for the—"

"—master they serve, yes, yes, Ninja Rule #25, I know. It's in the book I memorized when I was five, remember?" sighed Itachi. "But since when did I ever follow those rules? Never. Duh…" he said, rolling his eyes. "I never followed them yet I managed to become the best. No problem with that, is there? So now, let me have my satisfaction. I'll bring Sasuke to school and pick him up, so there's no need to bother going to the Academy, mother."

The matter was dismissed just like that. Itachi patted his otouto on the back and Sasuke stood up, scrambling towards the door where his school bag was propped against. Itachi followed, slinging the bag over his shoulder and picking his little brother up.

"Come on, Sasuke-chan."

* * *

Itachi _im_patiently waited for his otouto to bound out of the Academy doors. He sighed, leaning against the sakura tree by the playgrounds, which was in plain view from the main doors.

He eyed the students who were walking or running around, their numbers increasing as the dismissal time neared.

Finally, the school bell rang loudly and there was a loud rush of noise from inside the building, as if everyone inside it had been sleeping and wake up all at the same time.

Soon, children/aspiring ninjas of different young ages poured out of the main doors. As usual, most of the girls, no matter how old or young, were ogling at him again. Some, he noticed, were even Sasuke's classmates.

He sighed, pushing his hair back from his face.

_The curse of being handsome…_ he smirked, shaking his head. _I'm just too much of a hunk to function, sometimes._

(And isn't he conceited.)

He looked up when a familiar voice rang out from the crowds. He watched as Sasuke tried to escape from the grips of several girls and—he choked—some boys.

_Damn, this young and they're gay…?_

"I am _NOT,_ again, let me repeat, I am _NOT_ going on a date, and _ESPECIALLY_ not with YOU!" Sasuke snapped, his words dripping with menace that made Itachi grin proudly.

_Now THAT'S my brother._

Some of the teachers who were coming out shook their heads, some laughed and some simply chuckled and went back to whatever they were doing.

But they stopped to stare again when Itachi started approaching Sasuke.

Some of the girls squealed as he came near them. Most of them were murmuring on why the famed genius of the Uchiha clan and the pride of the whole Konoha ANBU was doing in the Academy.

The girls practically swooned when he stopped and called.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke instantly whirled around from the girls who were still nagging him. "Aniki!"

Sasuke turned his back completely on the forlorn-looking girls and gays and bounded towards his elder brother. Itachi squatted down as his otouto hurtled into his arms. He chuckled and mussed Sasuke's hair, before lifting him up.

"Ice cream?"

"Ice cream!"

Itachi started walking away from the crowd.

"That's his little brother, eih?"

"Yes… it's quite surprising how soft he is with his otouto."

"Indeed."

Itachi smiled as his otouto clutched onto him obsessively.

His otouto was obsessive.

**_Obsessive._**

Obsessive of the warmth that enveloped him like angel's wings.

* * *

c", XP There. XP Sucks? Pointless? I know. Just an aftermath. Yeah.

**ahnigurL  
**_tainted.alchemist_  
**05.11.06**


	7. Pitch Black

**Sanctuary  
**Written by: ahnigurL

c", Next up…

* * *

**Pitch Black**

* * *

Sasuke stared blankly at the ceiling above him, willing his mind blank, willing himself to stop thinking and get to sleep. The whitewashed walls of the his room, accentuated by the occasional blue paint along the walls tracing beautiful outdoor scenery patterns (courtesy of his brother) overwhelmed his emotions with peace, but his mind was a different matter. 

He scowled, tossing and turning in his bed, the expression on his face not blending well with his babyish features.

He was, as Itachi had said, far too beautiful for evil stares and glares. As well as frowns and scowls.

Beautiful, yes.

His brother had refrained from using handsome whenever Sasuke was the matter. He had some point with his reason, though.

Sasuke _was_ indeed far too beautiful to be called handsome. His facial features were too soft for a man's but too sharp for a girl's. His physique (especially his hips, as Itachi had pointed out) were too curvy for a guy's but too flat for a chic's.

Sasuke sighed.

He was always somewhere in the middle.

Always trapped.

Just like now.

_Trapped between father and brother._

He sighed.

_Trapped between reality and illusion._

His mind flashed back to the incident he had witnessed earlier.

He shivered involuntarily.

Never had he seen his aniki so menacing. Never had he seen him fight like that, and never had he seen him directly disrespect his fellow Uchihas and their father Fugaku like that ever before.

There was something amiss, and Sasuke could feel it in his veins.

In his very blood.

Something was terribly wrong.

His Uchiha instincts told him clearly. His blood was curdling steadily beneath his veins, as if there was something to anticipate. Only thing was, he did not know what.

He sighed again. "Aniki…" he groaned, wanting his aniki's embrace.

He pulled himself out of his futon, and, dragging along with him his blue blanket, he silently shuffled over to the door. Sliding it open, he eased himself into the dark hallway. It did not matter if he made noise; his parents were halfway to the other side of the house anyways.

He closed his room door and walked over to his aniki's door. He reached his hand up tentatively, willing himself to open the door and sidle up to his big brother like he always did when he had bad dreams.

But there was something in him that possessed him to stop. It was something familiar, like he had felt it before. He scrunched up his forehead, his hand stopping in midair.

What was it?

Was it…

His breath hitched to his throat when a silent rustling of cloth was heard from inside Itachi's room.

…_fear? _

"Sasuke-chan, I know you're there," Itachi's voice floated out from behind the thin rice paper doors. There was a pause, and Sasuke lowered his head, but not his hand. "What are you standing out there for? Come in."

Sasuke's head lifted up again and he rested his hand tentatively on the wedge on the shoji(1) and pulled it open, shyly poking his head inside the darkness of his big brother's room. Itachi's half-naked form was barely visible through the slither of light streaming in from his window, which was opened in a small crack.

"A-aniki…?"

He could see his aniki smile slightly in the darkness at him. "Come, otouto."

Sasuke slid himself inside the room, tugging on his blue blanket and then closing the door. He shuffled slowly towards Itachi and clambered on clumsily, helped by the older boy.

Itachi pulled the smaller boy into his arms, and Sasuke gladly snuggled into his chest. Itachi smoothed the back of his brother's head, trying to flatten the chicken hair in vain. For Sasuke, though, it was a soothing gesture.

"Is there anything wrong, otouto?"

"…can't sleep."

"Hn," Itachi nodded. This was the normal reason why Sasuke would retreat into his room for the night. He noticed that these trips into his room were becoming more and more often as he grew. It was quite the opposite of what would happen with normal brothers. Not that he minded, though. "Doushite(2)?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Itachi, had he been an average ninja, would have suspected that his little brother was asleep. But Itachi was sharper than that. He knew that Sasuke was refraining from answering his question.

"I asked you a question, Sasuke."

Sasuke gulped audibly, shifting anxiously in his big brother's arms. "I was…ano(3)…"

Itachi sighed as Sasuke scooted deeper into his arms, refusing to look up. He closed his eyes. He was not stupid not to understand what his otouto was thinking about.

He placed a finger under his otouto's chin, lifting his face up to meet his eyes. Itachi lowered his face upon Sasuke, capturing the small, plump lips with his. Sasuke was docile as ever and immediately wrapped his arms around his aniki's neck, pulling Itachi ever closer. Itachi sucked gently on Sasuke's lower lip and then delivered several tantalizing licks to his upper lip, before engaging in a tango with Sasuke's tongue.

As he drew back, he placed a wet kiss on Sasuke's cheek and then flicked the smaller boy's ear with his tongue. He whispered breathily, his hot breath fanning on Sasuke's sensitive skin, making him shiver in pleasure. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that earlier, otouto, gomen… I did not mean to scare you."

"Ano, don't say sorry, aniki…" Sasuke muttered. "It's okay."

Itachi just smiled back at his innocent otouto, flicking Sasuke's forehead.

"Ow!"

"That's a lady's sound."

"So?"

"So you're a lady."

Sasuke pouted. "No I'm not!"

"Well you sure look like one."

"Mou, aniki!"

Itachi just smiled at Sasuke's antics. "Let's go to sleep, little brother."

Sasuke nodded and smiled one last time at Itachi, before letting out a gigantic yawn. He slipped his arms around his otouto and half-laid back on the bed, with the propped up pillows holding him up at an inclined angle. He let Sasuke sleep on his chest, the child instinctively resting his head on the crook of his big brother's neck.

Itachi sighed at the sight of his little brother's stubby little arms around his naked torso, clutching a fluffy blue cloth, which was his blanket. He still remembered why Sasuke had chosen that particular blanket as his favorite. It was because Itachi had bought it for him three years ago when Sasuke was four. Itachi had been on a mission when he had seen that blanket and decided he would buy it for his little bro.

A smile graced his lips despite the troubling incidents and thoughts that had happened since this afternoon. It had started as a normal day, but ended not so normally. It was a bad afternoon.

He pulled up the thick comforter over his otouto, resting it right over the child's chin. Sasuke's lips curved up in a small, blissful smile.

Itachi marveled at the innocence Sasuke possessed, even if he already took his virginity. It was something miraculous, really.

_My otouto must really love me._

He smirked.

_And for that, I should consider myself lucky. _Very _lucky._

He pulled his bedside drawer open, revealing a Polaroid camera he had recently bought. He pulled the comforters down slightly to reveal Sasuke lying peacefully on his chest, fast asleep. He flicked open his bedside lamp for light and faced the camera towards them, holding it high at an arm's length.

There was a flash of light and the sound of sliding paper. Itachi removed his other arm from around his otouto and pulled the Polaroid picture paper off, his other hand placing the camera back in his drawer.

Sasuke moaned in his sleep, shifting as if searching for a lost warmth. Itachi immediately amended by wrapping his arm back around his otouto's smaller torso. Sasuke's moaning stopped and he immediately fell back into a deep sleep.

He placed a kiss on top of his brother's head.

_We will be brothers no matter what. Blood brothers no matter what._

Itachi possessively clutched the boy to him.

_I've claimed you, Sasuke. You are _mine _and _mine _alone. And if I have to make drastic measures to keep you mine, I will._

-

-

-

Inside Sasuke's dream, the blood red eyes of his brother flashed before his eyes, the three pins of the Mangekyou Sharingan swirling and then uniting together to form three spikes around the main black iris in his brother's eyes.

Just like what had happened earlier when his elder brother had looked at him from the corner of his eyes while apologizing and bowing to their father.

_Aniki…_

He remembered the strange vision he saw earlier.

A vision of dead bodies and blood on walls.

_Aniki…_

A vision of horror.

…_what did you make me see?_

_

* * *

_

**Notes:**

(1) **shoji** is a wooden-framed sliding door slated with rice papers.  
(2) **doushite** means "why?" or "what's wrong?"  
(3) **ano** directly translates as "uhm..." in English.

* * *

c", Alright. I know this might seem pointless, but it will be vital to following oneshots. XP I told you guys, all of these oneshots are related. And I suppose you can already guess what had happened "earlier that afternoon", ne?

* * *

**ahnigurL  
**_tainted.alchemist  
_**05.13.06**


	8. Sinful Attraction

**Sanctuary  
**Written by: ahnigurL

c", Sasuke's real sweet as a child, is he not? He's completely adorable! I love him!

**Warning(s): Lemon** (more graphic than the last one), Incest, Yaoi (but I don't think I should even warn you of that… do I?)

* * *

**Sinful Attraction**

* * *

When Itachi had first thought out his plan, he had not initially thought that it would have complications like these. When he had first conspired against his clan, he had not thought that it would be hard to carry out what he had initially planned to do. But now, he figured that it was not entirely that _easy_.

He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

The clan was reacting just as he had expected them to. His plans were going perfectly. His exploits were not in vain. Finally, the Uchiha's conspiracy would be put to a stop. All this… all this foolishness, this stupidity in his clan… they would all vanish.

When he had killed Uchiha Shisui (and without a sweat, mind you), he had obviously done it flawlessly. He had made it look like intentional suicide on Shisui's part. Even the letter was a great hoax. The clan had bit the bait.

They had apprehended him a week ago, pressing the blame of Shisui's death on him. He had denied them and even put on a show for them.

(And Sasuke.)

He sighed and rubbed his forehead when he was reminded of that certain matter. The child should not have seen that. Now, Sasuke was disturbed, though he tried his best not to show it. Sasuke was not involved in his plans. He would be a different matter. It would be different with him. He had different plans for the boy.

He amended himself. _Easy, Itachi. Your plans for Sasuke will not be foiled despite his discomfort recently, _he thought, trying to convince himself. But even his own voice sounded doubtful inside his head. He sighed again. _Who am I fooling? Sasuke is a sharp kid; the incident a week ago will rouse his curiosity and peak his interest. It will call his attention. And if I move on with my original plan, it will be too shaky to function completely, because his suspicions will grow with the passing of time._

But he could not jeopardize his mission just because of Sasuke.

He pursed his lips, setting them in a grim line as he threw stone into the silent koi pond in the Uchiha backyard garden. He stared as the ripples undulated slowly, watching as they grow in magnitude and power.

And then fade away just like that.

_If matters get worse…_

He closed his eyes, as if pained.

…_forgive me Sasuke._

* * *

This was a rare occurrence in Konohagakure.

Lights lit up the night streets of the sakura groves and different colored rice paper lamps hung along the grove paths, trailing around the whole festive village. It was a special annual occasion.

It was the Sakura Festival.

Every spring, the people of Konoha celebrated the beauty of nature and the elegance and innocence the village managed to maintain through its undisputed reputation as the strongest ninja village in all of the five countries. Every spring, people gathered to celebrate and revere the symbol of Konoha's femininity.

The Sakura blossoms.

Nowhere else can you find the density and the rare breed of beautiful blossoms Konoha had. Nowhere else.

The cherry blossoms themselves had been created by the chakra of the First when he used his Life Genesis technique to build Konohagakure. He had brought life to the barren lands and thus, this beauty resulted.

The villagers treated this festival as a special occasion, a chance to thank the First and his sacrifices and all the noble works he's done for his village.

But there was a rare occurrence in Konohagakure.

(No, not the festival. It happens every year, how can it be rare?)

Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, Yuuhi Kurenai and Maito Gai all gathered under a sakura tree, drinking sake and chatting the night away. For once, they were not in their ninja outfits, but in kimonos (in Kurenai's case)/hakama and haori (for the guys).

But their chatting was halted as the rare occurrence passed by.

Kakashi's book fell from his hands, landing with a soft, almost inaudible thud on the grassy ground, face down. He stared at the vision before him.

"Is that…" he started, almost choking. "…what I think it is?"

Asuma's eyes looked like they were ready to pop out any second. He shook his head and pulled out another cigarette, lighting it and taking a massive pull of smoke to calm himself.

Kurenai slapped herself. "I think that's an impostor," she decided.

Gai agreed almost instantly. "It's impossible that it's not an impostor. Goodness, _Uchiha Itachi_…? _Cuddling_?"

"I do NOT care if that is his brother," Asuma said. "Cuddling is cuddling. Itachi DOESN'T cuddle, even with his brother."

"I'm not seeing an illusion, guys," Kakashi snapped. "That's… that's really him."

* * *

Itachi chuckled as his brother pouted cutely when Itachi messed up his hair.

"Mou, aniki!"

The two of them were sitting under a sakura tree near the river, a little away from their family's place. The Uchiha clan's higher echelons were gathered in a circle inside a sakura grove. But Itachi withdrew from the party, taking his otouto with him.

"You're really cute, you know, otouto?"

Sasuke grinned. "Of course! I took from my aniki!"

Itachi nodded, mockingly serious. "Yes, yes. I am the cutest person in the world."

"No you're not! I am!"

"Oh really? Care to prove that, otouto?"

Sasuke laughed and stuck his tongue out at Itachi, who smiled mischievously and started tickling the boy who was sitting in his lap.

"Oh, so you're—" he said, poking and prodding the shrieking Sasuke's sides. "—you're cuter, eih?" he finished, wiggling his fingers at Sasuke and pouncing on the boy again, tickling his brother mercilessly until he dissolved into a puddle of laughter.

Itachi chuckled and picked his otouto up, who was already rolling around in the grass laughing.

"Up, otouto, you can roll in my lap," Itachi muttered, pulling his otouto back securely in his arms and cuddling with him. "You'll get grass stains and mother will kill me."

Sasuke smiled sheepishly, throwing his arms around his aniki's torso like he used to everyday. He was oblivious to the people staring at them and pointing, as well as the scathing glares coming from the members of the Uchiha clan. They did not like the attention Sasuke was eliciting from Itachi.

Itachi leaned down and nuzzled Sasuke's cheek playfully, making the smaller boy giggle in delight. He ignored the glares and stares they were getting.

_Gah, they can rot in hell for all I care. I'm with my otouto… possibly for the last time. And I'm not letting anything ruin it._

He placed small wet kisses on a giggling Sasuke's cheek and trailed down his jaw, but he was careful to disguise it as playful nuzzling only. He did not want his otouto's reputation tarnished. His didn't matter anyways.

"Come, otouto, why don't we go home now? It's a bit late after all," Itachi muttered.

Sasuke nodded obediently, hooking his arms around Itachi's neck as Itachi stood up, hoisting the boy with him. He started walking off towards the Uchiha district.

* * *

"A-aniki…" moaned Sasuke, as his brother's fingers danced on his bare belly playfully. It was a bit ticklish, but he felt that queer pleasure uncoil again. Just like that time when he and his aniki…

"Sasuke, do you remember what we did before?"

"Hai."

"Do you want me to do it with you again?"

Sasuke shivered as his aniki spanned his hand greedily on his stomach, as if claiming what was his. "H-hai, aniki."

Itachi smirked. He was supposed to be helping Sasuke dress into his sleepwear, but the opportunity seemed too good to miss. Especially since this was the last night.

Itachi leaned in and captured his brother's lips in a gentle, loving kiss, and slipped his tongue inside the smaller boy's mouth, exploring the depths he had so fervently claimed during their last encounter. They parted, Sasuke panting a little, his lips parted to let air through easily.

"Tired already, otouto?" teased Itachi. "Can't have that, can we?"

Itachi pulled the sash of his clothes free, ridding himself of the itchy fabric of his hakama. He pressed his otouto's smaller chest against his, wanting more skin contact. Sasuke moaned as their skin touched, the yearning warmth they had so cherished ever since childhood sparking again. Every time they touch, there was this strange warmth, this undulating pleasure. Both of them felt it, and both of them cherished it. Both of them knew as well.

They loved that warmth. That was the main reason why they loved touching.

It was a bond between them. A destined bond.

Itachi claimed Sasuke's lips again, in a more fevered kiss. The boy proved to have learned something from their kisses and encounters before, since he started tilting his head experimentally against Itachi and eliciting pleasant friction. Sasuke moaned again.

"I love that sound," Itachi breathed, trailing and pressing wet, hot, open-mouthed kisses down Sasuke's jaw. He continued down his neck, tantalizingly slowing his movements to further tease Sasuke. He pressed his soft lips on sensitive spots in Sasuke's neck, making him roll his head back and moan. "God, I love that sound. Make it for me again, Sasuke."

Itachi brushed _accidentally_ against Sasuke's slowly erecting cock through the haori that was the only thing left of Sasuke's clothes. Sasuke moaned louder than ever before, his moan being his lover and brother's name.

"That's it, heavens, that is _so_ it!"

Sasuke grinned as he made his brother moan himself. He felt proud. It was a rare occurrence that Itachi moaned. It was always him, so this was a pleasant change.

He placed his smaller hands on Itachi's face, making his elder brother look up at the boy, before Sasuke swooped down low and pressed his lips bravely against his aniki's surprised ones.

Itachi smiled softly against Sasuke's lips, before guiding the kiss. Sasuke was inexperienced alright, but he was brave enough to initiate. And he was smart enough to be educated.

While they were lost in their lip lock, Itachi pulled free Sasuke's haori, freeing his cock inside.

"Aniki… touch me?"

"Anything for my angel."

Itachi's fingers descended on Sasuke's cock, gently tracing lines and patterns up and down, teasing and playing. Sasuke moaned loudly, gripping Itachi's raven hair and tugging the pony tail free. Itachi's long hair cascaded over his back and Sasuke willed himself, tangling his hands into the silky softness. He gripped hard when Itachi gripped his cock and squeezed.

"Like that?"

"M-more… onegai…"

Itachi nodded and moved lower down south, his eyes never once leaving his otouto's.

"Watch and learn, little brother."

Itachi's tongue darted out of his mouth and traced Sasuke's tip, making him gasp in absolute pleasure. Itachi slowly drew the throbbing cock into his mouth, salivating on it and sucking gently. Sasuke writhed and moaned underneath him, gasping, screaming, pleading his name. He tickled Sasuke's balls with his fingers, feeling his own erection stiffen like a rock.

Itachi pushed two fingers into Sasuke's ass, making him moan out. It wasn't painful anymore. A bit uncomfortable, but not painful. Sasuke had thankfully survived through the soreness and the pain.

Itachi reintroduced himself to previously claimed territories, bending and scissoring his fingers in Sasuke to stretch the taut muscles for the entry, all the while sucking slowly on Sasuke's cock like one would do with a candy lollipop.

When Itachi was satisfied, he withdrew, making Sasuke shudder and groan in protest.

"Aniki!"

"I'm going to let you ride, Sasuke," Itachi smirked. He rid himself of his remaining article of clothing and lay down on the bed, gesturing for Sasuke. "Come."

Sasuke crawled towards him eagerly. Itachi propped him up over his erection.

"Ready, otouto?"

Sasuke nodded.

"You do it, then," Itachi smirked. Sasuke looked uncertainly at his aniki for a while, before the uncertainty vanished and he gulped everything down, pushing himself down and impaling himself on his aniki.

Itachi moaned, rolling his head back at Sasuke's tightness. _It _has _been a while…_

Sasuke groaned, half in pain and half in pleasure. He guessed it was either his aniki was too big or he was too tight. He breathed deeply for a few moments, before he felt his aniki grip his butt cheeks and push him up. Sasuke helped himself up on his aniki's erection, before plunging deep down again. Another moan, another groan.

Sasuke raised himself up and down and up and down, until both of them were riding like crazy, and Itachi was voluntarily pounding himself into the minx above him. _His_ minx.

"Aniki… aniki, I'm going to—"

Itachi cut him off with a kiss, and they both came at the same time, both moaning into each other's mouths.

After their kiss, they collapsed on a sweaty, tired heap on the bed.

Itachi pulled his otouto against him, not removing himself from inside his brother. He gazed upon Sasuke's angelic face. He looked bedraggled, and yet he still managed to look angelic. He wondered how he managed that.

Itachi brushed away his bangs and placed a kiss on Sasuke's forehead, before flicking it.

"Shower, otouto?"

"Shower."

-

-

-

_Let's enjoy each other for one night, little brother._

_Let's enjoy for the last night._

_Let's love for the last night._

_Let's live…_

* * *

c", Theeeeeere. Lemony smutty goodness. Gracious, am I turned on… damn… writing these ItaSasu lemons turn me on.

**ahnigurL  
**_tainted.alchemist_  
**05.13.06**


	9. True Love

**Sanctuary  
**Written by: ahnigurL ©

* * *

c", Here's is the second to the last chapter. Ninth chapter, ne? We've gone pretty fast through it. It's been a wonderful fic, ne? XP I enjoyed writing them too (especially the lemons). X3 I'm a sucker for fluff, so pardon my rantings. Oooo… it's the GENOCIDE!

* * *

**True Love **

* * *

Itachi woke up, finding an angel in his arms. He smiled as he watched Sasuke sleep peacefully in his arms, snuggled deep into his chest, enjoying the pleasant warmth creeping through veins. He shifted his arms around his otouto and tightened his grip, pulling the smaller boy into his chest closer if it was possible. Sasuke gave a sigh of contentment and snuggled.

A soft smile graced Itachi's lips, recalling their last night. Sasuke was an angel.

Of course, he had not forgotten to dress the both of them afterwards, in case their parents came up and checked.

Itachi leaned down slightly, placing a soft, feather-light kiss on his forehead.

_You're special, Sasuke. Don't you ever think otherwise. You're special._

Itachi sighed.

_Today is the day when all of this ends. Right _here

Sasuke mumbled in his sleep, clutching tight at Itachi's yukata. "Aniki…"

This brought yet another smile on Itachi's face. "I'm right here, otouto," he whispered back, flattening Sasuke's hair at the back in vain. Sasuke smiled and sighed in his sleep, mumbling about his aniki again, before drifting off into dreamland once more.

The silent scratching sound of the shoji being slid open startled the peaceful, brotherly loving silence enveloping the room and destroyed it.

"Itachi?" Mikoto called. "Are you awake yet?"

Itachi frowned as his mother disturbed the peace yet again. He turned his head around slightly to see his mother from the corner of his eyes. "Yes I am, okaa, but otouto is not."

Mikoto walked over to them slowly, standing over the two brothers as Itachi held Sasuke close to him. Itachi returned to flattening Sasuke's hair against the back of his head. Sasuke smiled more in his sleep.

"You seem to really love your little brother," Mikoto remarked, watching the affectionate gesture with alarming surprise. Itachi rarely showed emotions ever since he was three. But it seems his weakness was his baby brother. At her question, Itachi did not even bristle. His answer was brisk and sure.

"I do."

"I'm glad that you have a good relationship with your brother, Itachi," Mikoto sighed. She watched as her youngest son cuddle with his older brother affectionately. Sasuke did seem to relish being with his older brother. He seemed even closer to Itachi than he was with his parents. Even Mikoto herself did not ever get this close to Sasuke ever since he was two. Ever since then, Itachi had been guiding his otouto's steps.

"Hn."

"Wake him up now, Itachi, he's gonna be late for school," Mikoto silently directed. "We're waiting for you two downstairs."

"Aa."

Mikoto walked out of the room, sliding the shoji shut silently.

As she stepped out, Itachi sighed, releasing a burst of breath he did not know he had been holding. He turned to his still sleeping, oblivious otouto. He touched his cheek and smiled as he felt it was pleasantly warm.

He tapped the smaller boy's cheek. "Otouto… Sasuke-chan, wake up, otouto…"

Sasuke groaned. "Not yet…"

"Come on, otouto…"

"I wanna be with aniki longer…"

Itachi stopped and sighed at the small boy.

"Sasuke-chan, you'll be with me if you wake up. Wake up now. Come on."

Sasuke groaned in protest, but cracked his eyes open nevertheless. He raised a stubby fist to rub at his left eye. "A-a-niiiiiii-ki?" he said, catching the statement in mid-yawn.

"Ohayou, otouto," Itachi greeted, placing a soft, affectionate kiss on Sasuke's lips.

Sasuke automatically smiled cheerfully, completely awake. "Ohayou, aniki!"

Itachi chuckled as his otouto glomped him forcefully. Sasuke started showering kisses on his aniki's face. He was aggressive and willing to instigate, but he was still innocent. Itachi chuckled even more.

"Do you love me, Sasuke?"

"Hai!" Sasuke answered surely, pressing his lips against his aniki's. Itachi led the kiss yet again, but he was happy that Sasuke knew how to instigate and be aggressive. He had overcome his initial shock and shyness.

Too bad it had to end right when it was getting better.

Itachi pulled away and sighed, placing a soft kiss on his oblivious brother's forehead.

"Come, little brother, let us prepare you for school, eat breakfast, and then I'll take you to the academy."

Sasuke bounded out of the bed enthusiastically the moment he heard that his aniki was going to take him to the academy. It was a really rare occurrence, but he wasn't one to complain. He just wanted to enjoy and savor the moment.

He was just a kid after all.

He noticed nothing amiss.

* * *

Itachi carefully placed down her brother on the ground in front of the academy gates. He handed the child his school bag and kissed him on the cheek goodbye.

"Be a good boy, Sasuke, and follow your teacher, ne?"

"Hai, aniki!"

"Good. Now go. You don't want to be late."

Sasuke nodded, placing one more last kiss on Itachi's cheek, before running off, waving at Itachi. Itachi simply lifted his hand in response, a small smile curling on his normally inexpressive mouth.

"Should I call this a dream or a nightmare?" a familiar voice came from behind Itachi.

Itachi did not even need to look. "You're not even asleep, Kakashi-sempai. How can you be dreaming or having a nightmare?"

"Well, I was just weighing out the possible explanations for what I saw," Kakashi said, not taking his eye off his book. "Is Uchiha Itachi really softening up?"

"You really want an answer?"

At this, Kakashi looked up. Itachi smirked at him.

"You'll see."

Itachi started walking away. "See ya, Kakashi-sempai. And take care of Sasuke for me, will you?"

Itachi disappeared in a flurry of leaves, leaving a bewildered Kakashi behind. "…take care of Sasuke…? I'm not even close to being the boy's teacher."

* * *

_Amazing how fast time flies when you're enjoying yourself._

Itachi smirked, sadistically licking the blood off his kunai as he faced the remaining four elders of the clan, the first one dead at his feet. Beside these elders of the clan was the head of the clan and the mistress of the clan.

"I-Itachi! What the hell do you think you are doing!"

"Tsk, tsk, Homura-sama, _language_! Watch it, you're talking in front of an under-aged teen!"

"Itachi, what is the meaning of all of this!"

"Oh, _come on_, don't tell me you don't know the reason? Of _course_ you do!" Itachi cackled. "How can you not, when the reason is _you?_!"

"You're raving, Itachi!"

"Oh, I'm not raving, _you_ are."

"Stop this at once Itachi, this is uncalled for! Stop, or else—"

"Or else what? You'll _kill me?_ Do you really have the balls to kill your own son, _father?_"

Fugaku winced at the sharp tone Itachi used. Ever since Itachi was a child, he had shown potential, but he also had this uncanny behavior. Fugaku never thought it would escalate to something like this.

"Look, Itachi, whatever your problem is, we can put a solution to it. Just calm down," amended Mikoto."

"Calm down. Calm _down_. How the FUCK can you ask me to calm DOWN, when you fucking bastards are trying to murder my baby brother?"

Fugaku's eyes widened guiltily. He immediately regretted that reaction, but still tried to amend. "Itachi—"

"You _fucking_ bastards don't even have a care if he's just an innocent child seeking attention! Fuck this stupid clan and all the stupidity that goes on in here! You want me to take over the clan so I can mobilize it to take over Konoha. You want to kill my baby brother to eliminate the only weakness I have. You _fucking_ bastards, there is _no_ way I am succumbing to what you want to make me do! Did that even cross your mind? Eh?"

The elders and his two parents stood silent.

"Why are you all so silent all of a sudden, huh? Struck gold, didn't I? You're guilty, aren't you? ADMIT IT! You tried to kill Sasuke!"

"Itachi, stop this! Your world should _not_ revolve around your little brother! Don't think I don't know what you two have been doing—"

"So what if you know? I don't really care that much! I just care about Sasuke's well being! And who the fuck are you to tell me where my world should revolve? You know _nothing_ about me, _nothing!_"

At that, Itachi charged, fury clouding his judgment.

One of a ninja's principles is never to let your emotions cloud your judgment, especially anger, because it would turn into a weakness, an open point for an enemy's attack.

But for Itachi, this principle did not apply.

The more angered he was, the more powerful he became.

Blood started to spill, screams pierced the already death-scented air.

* * *

Sasuke skipped home gaily, eager to see his aniki. He took the shortcut through the sakura groves, since he wanted to view the falling sakura. Besides, it was more relaxing and peaceful this way.

As the Uchiha Mansion's silhouette started to reveal over the treetops, he ran quickly towards the certain direction, eager for a warm welcome from his aniki. He blushed, thinking that he wanted to feel the same way his aniki had made him feel one more time.

As he reached the front door, he opened it quickly. It was dark in the hallway, as if nobody was home.

"Tadaima!" he shouted for the whole house to hear. "Aniki? Aniki?"

Instead of searching for his mother like a normal kid would, he immediately headed out to search for his aniki, dumping his messenger school bag on the floor by the front door.

"Is anybody home?"

As he walked on in the hallway, a strange, metallic and tangy scent reached his nose. It was a familiar scent, but he couldn't quite place his finger on what it was.

"Aniki?"

He walked on, looking around in empty open lower room floors. He looked left to the gardens, and was caught by the beauty of their sakura tree. Not seeing where he was stepping, he yelped when he stepped on something wet, sticky and…red?

Sasuke's brows knitted in confusion, his forehead crumpling up.

"…blood?"

His eyes followed the flowing trail of blood into the opened room on his right. There he saw the sight that robbed him of his happiness, of his purity, of his innocence forever.

"A…a-aniki?"

Itachi looked at him menacingly, emotionlessly, unlike what he had been used to. Itachi looked at him as if they did not know each other.

I'm sorry, little brother, but I had to and I have to do this for your sake… 

"M-mother! F-father… what…? Elder… Elder Daiki? What…aniki?"

"Sasuke…"

The look that Itachi gave his brother made Sasuke shiver involuntarily, a creeping coldness showering over him.

"…live to hate me, Sasuke."

"W-what?"

"Live to hate what you have learned to love. Live to hate me. I will be waiting for you. And when you are strong enough, you will hate me enough to manage to kill me."

"A-aniki! What are you—"

"I killed them, Sasuke. I killed them all. You have no family left."

"I have you!"

"I killed them. Revenge, Sasuke, seek revenge. Avenge their deaths. Live to hate me."

"I—I don't understand… I—" Sasuke stuttered, clutching his head in his hands.

"Live to hate what you have learned to love in order to live furthermore… remember that."

Sasuke looked up one more time at his aniki. Those three-pinned Sharingan eyes imprinted firmly in his memory as his knees collapsed and he clutched his head in complete confusion.

And in a rustle of leaves, he was gone.

-

-

-

"_In romantic love, you want the other person. In true love, you want the other person's good."_

* * *

c", There. XP What you've been waiting for… the killing part. XP Angsty? Nah… dramatic, maybe.

* * *

**ahnigurL  
**_tainted.innocence _  
**05.18.06**


	10. At the Bottom of Everything

**Sanctuary  
**Written by: ahnigurL ©

* * *

c", The last chapter! Nooooooo! We're through already? Nooooo, we can't be through yet? Are we? Looks like we are. 

Damn.

But before we start with the very last chapter, I want to say **thank you** to all these people:

**ChaosAnge1**  
**redcloudangel  
****DoriElric  
****To-think-of-a-nice-name  
****ilocanoheero** ((thanks for constantly reviewing… you're ilocano? pinoy? me too…)  
**viciouscallisto****Fullmetal Guitarist**  
**Young Sasuke  
****cfox  
****RedRoses2  
****haruko sohma  
****uchiharei  
****IceNight009  
****uchihafan  
****sAyUrI-aNbU  
****InuSessyYaoiGirl  
****myrdschaem  
****Skogstroll  
****nakano takeko**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH, GUYS, I LOVE YOU ALL!** Thanks for taking the trouble to review and for supporting my story! XP If there are people whom I forgot to list on, please pardon me! I just tend to get forgetful, and well, I can't remember all of you, can I? XP

Now, on with it…

* * *

**At the Bottom of Everything**

* * *

"Ja, Sasuke-kun! Mata ashita!(1)" Sakura waved cheerily, walking off towards her house. Sasuke simply sighed and nodded his reply, making Sakura giggle. Naruto frowned at Sasuke and Sakura's (non-existent) exchange. 

"Ano sa, ano sa, aren't you gonna say goodbye to me too, Sakura-chyaaaaan?" Naruto pleaded, pulling out the 'yaaaa' part to make it more believable.

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. Not wanting to feel her other teammate to be left out, she nodded. "Alright, ja, Naruto, and don't eat too much ramen or you'll be sick."

"The dobe doesn't get sick from ramen," Sasuke spurted out.

Sakura's face turned blank. "Oh. Yeah. I forgot."

Naruto fumed. "SAA! ENOUGH TEASING ME!"

"Gomen ne, Naruto-kun," smiled Sakura. "We were just joking, ne, Sasuke-kun?" she said, turning to Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Who's joking? I'm telling the truth, ain't I?"

"GRR, SASUKE, I CHALLENGE YOU TO FIGHT RIGHT **NOW!**" Naruto screamed into Sasuke's ear.

Sasuke stood still for a moment, before tilting his head to the side and rubbing his irritated ear.

"Naruto, you're not supposed to fight, you're **teammates**, hear me? **TEAMMATES!**" Sakura screamed into both of the boys' ears.

Now, Sasuke was left rubbing both of his ears. "Dammit, will people _please_ STOP SCREAMING!"

"Oh, gomeeeen, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gushed. "Are you okay?"

"Mou…" Naruto whimpered. "Aren't you going to gush over me too, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura snapped at Naruto sternly. "You were only shouted at once. Sasuke got twice. Stop complaining."

Sasuke sighed. "I'm going," he said, swatting away Sakura heedlessly. "I have things to do, obviously unlike the two of you."

With that, he turned his back on them and walked off towards the direction of the Uchiha Prefecture nearby, leaving his two teammates standing dumbly behind him, staring at his Uchiha-Crest-emblazoned back.

"Am I dreaming?" Sakura muttered, pinching herself. She cringed when her nails bit into her skin sharply and made her bleed from the sheer force of her fingers. "Apparently not."

"Did he…" Naruto choked. "…just decline a fight?"

"Apparently…yes."

* * *

Sasuke grumbled as he let himself into the old house. Naruto and Sakura would probably bombard him with questions tomorrow morning as to why he declined to fight and why he headed for the Uchiha Prefecture when his apartment was the opposite way. 

He sighed.

He would never admit it out loud, but he still had a small place in his heart that wanted to go back and live inside this huge old house. It was dusty and unused, and he was pretty sure that the bloodstains were still on the walls and the floor of the main hall.

_Yep, still there,_ he painfully thought, as he walked, cringing, past the wide open doors of the main hall. It was never closed. Ever. Even when they were still all alive. It was customary for it to remain open, a symbol that the clan was open.

He screwed his eyes shut and forced his mind to forget and push back all the visions that were popping back up into his head. He did not want to relive it again. Not again.

He let his feet carry him to where he wanted to go. He blindly ascended the stairs and proceeded past the empty guestrooms of the house, until he reached two particular parallel rooms which were situation right after a turn in the hallway.

He reached out and touched the sliding door towards his old room and slid it open slowly, disturbing the dust settled on corners and sending them fluttering down to the floor. The room was untouched and looked as if it was just yesterday when he had slept in it. The bed was unmade, the blankets the same way he left it when his aniki had woken him in the morning for the sakura festival and helped him bathe and dress into his haori and hakama.

_Aniki._

His eyes turned very slowly towards the room across the hall, on his other side.

He tentatively reached up, resting his hand lightly on the shoji. He took a deep breath and pushed the shoji open, peering into the darkened room. Much to his surprise, the window was opened. He approached it. It was open, yes, but dusty. _Very_ dusty. The dust did not seem disturbed to him. Apparently, this window had been open since 4 years ago, since the genocide.

He sighed. He had not noticed it.

He looked around the room, reminiscing memories as he ran past several things and points in the room, pleasant warm memories that filled his body with a feeling long gone.

_Love._

He screwed his eyes shut.

_A ninja is a tool. A tool does not cry._

As he reopened his eyes, they landed on the unmade, dusty bed. The sheets had stains of mixed blood and… what was that? Semen?

He frowned, remembering the last night.

_And I had actually enjoyed it._

His aniki had not bothered to change sheets or at least rub the stains off a little, as if he wanted to leave a reminder for his little brother after he finished what he had planned.

Sasuke sighed. His eyes roamed the room once more, before he turned slightly towards the door and he started to plod softly out, not wanting any more of the overwhelming memories and feelings crashing down on him like colossal waves threatening to capsize his resolve and make him destroy his own barriers, the very barriers that his painful experiences with the only person he had ever loved has built.

It was an excruciating task he had to do, come back here every year to freshen his memory and remind himself of what had been past. He, after all, needed to retain some humanity in him too. Some good memories to calm his inner demon. Or else, he'd go mad. He can't afford that, not before he's killed his brother. Not before he's performed the task his aniki had set him to. He did not want to disappoint him.

Sasuke snorted.

_And after all these years, I still have these feelings for him, eih? Pathetic me. Maybe I really _am _a foolish little brother. It's either I'm one great coward not wanting and being able to live away from him, or I'm just one heck of a good and foolish little brother. _

He sighed. Throwing one last forlorn and (somehow) wanting glance at the bed, he turned his back and made to step out.

But as he turned his head, his eyes caught a sliver of something white in contrast of the dark colored wallpaper and bed sheets. He frowned and looked back again.

He trudged towards the beside table, where a white piece of paper stuck out of the unevenly closed drawer. It was like it was rushed.

He pulled on the paper and it slid out smoothly. He stared blankly at the smooth, glossy paper, and the scrawled hiragana and kanji(2) message on it. Itachi's handwriting.

He could not be mistaken. It had to be. He had memorized every curve and flit of his handwriting even before he had learned how to read. He had spent several hours poring over Itachi's study notebooks and handwritten files, staring at the letters thoughtfully even if he did not understand what it said.

Even now, he could still remember clearly the images in his mind. It was _etched_ firmly into his mind.

Come to think of it, his handwriting had turned a bit like Itachi's.

Well, okay.

Not a bit.

A lot.

But this was definitely not his. First off, it was dusty, meaning it had been there for a long time. It had kanji, so it meant that he did not possible write it when he was small, because of the simple fact that kanji was not taught at the academy until a child is 9. And second, he did not even remember seeing this thing! How could he write something he did not remember?

But it had kanji… Itachi knew that he could not read kanji back then. Had he intended him to read this when he had grown up and could understand kanji?

Sasuke snapped himself out of his reverie and read through the message cramped into the small space.

_Otouto,_

_When you're reading this, the Uchiha Genocide is probably already accomplished by none other than me. I understand you will be angry at me, and I will accept that. In fact, I will accept nothing less, Sasuke. I will accept nothing less from my little brother._

_When we meet again, you will get all the explanation you want. But for now, just be the child you were before, the child that followed my orders obediently… the child I loved._

_Keep this picture, and do what I told you to before. Keep this picture as a reminder of what you were before. I do not want you to lose all of your innocence. This is what this is all about, Sasuke, you and your innocence. That's what I worked for to protect._

_I will be looking forward to the time when we meet again, Sasuke._

_I just hope that it is not in the battlefield._

_Remember, little brother… I will expect nothing less._

_Aniki_

Sasuke read, reread, and reread the message for countless times before he the essence seeped into his brain and it finally managed to digest what the message said.

Sasuke had been pulled into a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts; he was confused, angry, sad, happy—he did not know! He simply did not know anymore.

Sasuke turned the paper around, searching for any other indications or messages, but was shocked by what he found that he almost dropped the paper.

Printed on the glossed side of the paper was a Polaroid picture. It was a picture of him and his brother. Itachi apparently had held the camera high and took a picture of them with one arm, while his other arm encircled a younger version of Sasuke and held the child tightly to his naked chest. Sasuke had been blissfully asleep and unaware; his stubby arms around his aniki's torso and his head snuggled comfortably against the crook of his aniki's neck. What more, there was a smile curving on Itachi's lips. A soft, loving smile.

Sasuke stared wide-eyed at the picture.

_W-what…_

"Itachi…?"

His hands shook so much, he dropped the picture.

"Aniki…" he groaned, clutching his head in his hands. "…what are you doing to me? What did you make me _see_?"

He crumpled to the floor, kneeling, while tears streamed down his eyes. His whole body racked with sobs.

"Aniki…!"

* * *

Outside the window, and unbeknownst to the crying Sasuke, Itachi stared into his old room. He had this weird impulse to visit the old house and he just found himself in the gardens. It seemed his body acted on it's own accord. When he was about to step inside from the back door, he felt Sasuke's familiar aura approaching and found himself rooted to the spot. 

Luckily, a cold draft woke him up and he managed to close the back door and hide in the forest, masking his aura. Sasuke was too caught up he did not notice the disturbed dust patterns.

As he looked on, his body, his hands, his arms itched to hold his otouto, to pull him into his arms, to hold him close and make him stop his crying just like what he had done long ago, just like when he was still a child.

He still had love for his brother.

He still held those feelings.

He snorted.

_I should, because the feeling's the reason why this all happened._

He wanted to hold his brother like he had done so long ago. He wanted to hold him close, the person that he had not seen or held for a very long time.

He even wanted to go back in time.

The elders had planned to take over Konoha long ago, and had planned to include Itachi in the very front of their plans, because he was the very best of the whole clan. Itachi had refused outright, saying that he had more important matters to attend to, like the upbringing of his brother. He did not approve of the way his father constantly threw Sasuke off like he was just dust on his shoulders. The Elders were enraged, but they could not tame the fire in Itachi's resolve. No one managed to tame him. (And besides, being the leader was too much work. He was too lazy.)

As such, the Elders sought more persuasive manners. They had tried bribing Itachi. Of course, they failed. Itachi had said that he wanted nothing more than his otouto in this world. They had tried forcing Itachi, but that obviously would not work, seeing as Itachi's head was harder than diamond. They tried threatening Itachi of death in the hands of his 'best friend' Shisui, but he had managed a powerful comeback against the Elders that managed to keep them at bay for quite some time: he _murdered_ Uchiha Shisui brutally right in front of their eyes, and then created an illusion using his newly earned Mangekyou Sharingan. They had all thought the murder was a dream. The next day they would find an illusionary Shisui who had apparently attempted suicide.

That kept the Elders at bay. That showed them how serious Itachi was. He did not want a part in any of their plans, and that was final.

But the Elders were hard headed as well! They tried their last resort: they asked Fugaku and Mikoto to _kill_ Sasuke.

Now, _that_ crossed the line.

_Sasuke…_

"Gomen, otouto, but it had tobe done."

_…maybe in our last battle, I will manage to hold you close for one last time._

* * *

_"Live to hate what you have learned to love in order to live further, otouto. Remember that."_

"Ani—ni… aniki…" Sasuke sobbed, touching Itachi's smiling face on the picture.

_You told me to hate, aniue..._

His next words were so faint, it was fainter than a whisper.

_...and Iwanted **so** much to do as you said, to be a nice younger brother, demo..._

He closed his eyes. "Happy Birthday."

_...this is the one time that I won't be able to follow your orders._

Sasuke picked the picture up and stared at it intently with glazed eyes.

_Gomen ne, aniue, but I won't be able to hate you._

Outside, the leaves rustled as a shadow disappeared.

_I won't be able to hate you, because I love you too much to even try to._

_-_

_-_

_-_

Two figures, one huddled inside a dark and dusty room, and the other one leaping away to a vague destination, had one single thought crossing their minds.

_At the bottom of everything, we're still brothers. At the bottom of everything else... we still serve as each other's haven... each other's **sanctuary**._

* * *

**Owari**

* * *

**Notes:  
**(1) Mata ashita -- See you tomorrow.  
(2) Kanji -- Kanji is the Japanese term for the Chinese characters they integrate into their writing. It is a little different in meaning and in use from Chinese. There are three Japanese writing styles: Hiragana, the original and most basic; Katakana, the writing used for foreign words; and Kanji, or Chinese characters. They often use all three if needed.

* * *

c", waaaaaaaahhh! It's FINISHED! Waaaaahhhh!

* * *

**ahnigurL ©**  
_tainted.alchemist_  
**05.19.06**


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